Device in multilayer presses



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DEVICE 1N MULTILAYER PREssEs Filed March 1'7, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 vfnz/enors seria olaf ozofs'aofg f John Willard Wal/fvg@ United StatesPatent O 3,286,304 DEVICE IN MULTILAYER PRESSES John Willard Falkinger,Farsta, and Bertil Olof Olofsson, Umea, Sweden, assgnors to DeiibratorAktiebolag, a corporation of Sweden Filed Mar. 17, 1964, Ser. No.352,590

Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 19, 1963,

2,982/ 63 11 Claims. (Cl. 18-17) This invention relates to multilayerpresses.

More particularly this invention relates to improvements relating tomultilayer presses intended for production of sheets or boards oftibrous materials, such as wood bers, for example.

Multilayer presses of the type in consideration comprise a plurality ofsuperimposed heated press plates Ibetween which the sheet or `boardblanks to be pressed are fed on wire sieves which are disposed to beunrolled from rollers or the like members to be subjected subsequentlyto pressure and/or heat between said press plates. The sheets or boardsupon their treatment between the press plates are removed from the pressand at the same time the wire sieves are to be wound up again on theirroller members.

With constructions in use hitherto, it has proved to be impossible toconduct said winding up step so that the wire sieves are deposited atleast approximately in uniformly and tightly superimposed turns aboutthe roller members. Instead, irregular interspaces are formed betweenthe layer turns on the roller members causing the wire sieve toconstitute an obstacle when la subsequent set of blanks is lto be fedbetween the press plates. It has therefore proved to be necessary everytime to adjust by hand the winding up of all sieves onto their roller[members which adjustment is a tiresome and time-Wasting work impairingIthe capacity of the press.

One main object of the invention is to eliminate said drawback byproviding means for use in connection with multilayer presses of thetype in consideration and provided with wire sieves adapted to beunrolled and wound onto roller members, which cause the wire sieves whenbeing wound :up automatically to be deposited on the roller members inuniform and interspace-free, tight layer turns.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for use inconnection with and multilayer presses of the type in considerationwhich act on the wire sieves so as to keep them stretched, in particularwhen being wound upon the roller members. Preferably these means areadapted -to act on the wire sieves also after the winding up thereofonto the roller members.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description, considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a lateral elevation of a multilayer press embodying theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a lateral elevation of a press plate with a wire sievebelonging thereto and actuating members constructed and disposedaccording to the invention and presented in a larger scale.

FIG. 3 is a top View of the same parts.

FIG. 4 is a partial `sectional view of an air motor with cooperatingelements presented in the same view as in FIG. 3 but in a still largerscale.

FIG. 5 is an end View of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is flow sheet.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally denotes amultilayer press having a series of superimposed press plates 12 locatedbetween a base stand 14 and a top press 16 and in known manner suppliedwith a heating fluid, such as high-pressure steam. The press plates aremovable up and down between a position in which they are mutually spacedso as to allow introduction of sheet or board blanks therebetween and aposition in which the blanks are compressed therebetween, usually bymeans of a pressure produced hydraulically. These devices are known perse and as they do not belong to the invention they shall not bedescribed here more detailed.

In front of each press plate 12 there is disposed a roller member 18onto which a wire sieve 20 can be wound up. The free end of the wiresieve is to be kept stretched in the transversal direction by means of arod 22 and is fixed to a drawing or traction wire 24 via a hook 26. Thistraction wire has a length exceeding that of the press plate and is atits opposite end through a hook 28 fixed to a traction member 30. Thistraction member is in the embodiment shown common for all wire sieves 20and thus has a height dimension substantially equal to the height spaceoccupied by the press plates 12 within the press. The traction member isdriven by an electric motor 32 and guided by a beam 34 and rolls 36, 38engaging said beam.

According to the invention, the roller members 18 are individuallydriven by means of motors 40, see in particular FIG. 4. The drivingfluid for the motors may be a liquid, but is preferably constituted bycompressed air driving the motors with a number of revolutions variablein response to the load. The outgoing shaft 42 of the motor is -by meansof a claw or cl-utch coupling 43 or a similar coupling device joinedwith the roller member 18 so las to be brought into and out of thecoupling position by means of an axial displacement. The motor is of atype known per se with a rotor which may have an idling speed in excessof 105000 revolutions per minute. The dimension of the motor in thetransverse direction is smaller than the space occupied -by a pressplate 12 and a wire sieve 20 when being wound upon the roller member 18.The driving fluid is supplied through a nipple 44 formed for connectionof a hose (not shown) leading to a pressure source.

The motor 40 is disposed in a casing 46 constituting part of a supportfor keeping the motor adjacent the press plate 12. The casing has aprojection 48 limiting the movement of the motor towards the rollermember 18.

The support comprises a bar 50 and a tube 52 extending in parallel tosaid bar. Both the bar and the tube are xed in the casing 46 and a tube54 extending in parallel to the longitudinal extension of said casingand at its end portion formed with a projection 56 on which two arms 58are mounted rotatably about a pivot 60. The arms 56 project over the endwall of the motor and are -actuated by a locking member 62 having a hook64 clutching a pin `66 connected with the anms 58. The locking memberhas an arm 68 which is mounted in the casinlg 46 and which in itslowered position keeps the arms 58 pressed against the motor 40 andthereby locks this latter in its position.

An interspace 70 formed between the casing 46 and the motor 40 issupplied with cooling air from a nipple 72 communicating with the tubes54 and 52. The c-ooling air after having streamed past the anges 74 andthe engine escapes through openings 76 formed in the casing 46.

A bracket 78 is secured to a lateral edge of the press plate 12 by meansof screws 80. Projecting from the bracket 78 is a pin 82 which tits in acavity 184 formed in the end portion of the bar 50 (FIG. 5). A pin 86passes through the bracket 78 with a conical portion 88 and is rigidlysecured to the bar 50. The pin 86 is surrounded by .a spring member 90set between the bracket and a washer 92 locked relatively to the pin bymeans of nuts 94. The spring member 90 keeps the support immobilizedagainst the bracket 7,8. At the same time the support is prevented fromturning about the pin 36 by means of the pin `82. In this way it is madesure that the motor 40 is kept in continuous engagement with the rollermember 18. I'f, however, the motor 40 must be removed for inspection orreplacement, i-t is only necessary to bring the locking member 62 out ofits locking position by lifting the arm 68 to permit to turn the arms 58away whereby the motor is set free. If, on the other hand, a wire sievemust be replaced, this may be done by guiding the support outwards undercompression of the spring member 90 until the clutch coupling 43 is putout of operation and the pin 82 comes out of engagement with the bar 50.Thereafter, the support with the motor may be turned by 90 whereafterthe roller member 18 is accessible Vfor removal.

The roller members 18 are at their one end supported by the supportdescribed hereinbefore through the motor 40 and at their opposite end bya support arm 91 xed to the bracket 78 (FIG. 3).

According to FIG. 6 a pipe 96 leading from a pressure source (not shown)is forked into two branch pipes of which one provides the motors withdriving fluid and the other with cooling uid, the uids in both casespreferably being air. Behind a locking valve 98 the driving uid branchpipe 97 is forked again into two branches of which the one branch pipe100 is connected to a header 102 from which in turn a plurality of pipes104 extend of which each contains an air lubricator 106 and a valve 1,08controlled in an electric way. The conduits 104 lead to a minor header110 which in turn through pipes 112 is connected with a plurality ofmotors 40, such as four motors. In the illustrated embodiment the header102 has five lbranch pipes 104, each of which `feeds four motors 40. Inthe embodiment shown the number of press plates is thus 20.

A branch pipe 114 housing a valve 116 controlled in an electric Way, apressure reducing valve 11S and a back pressure valve 120, is connectedto portions 105 of the branch pipes 104 located Ibetween the valves 108and the bead-ers 110. The pressure supplied to the motor 40 through thepipe 114 is substantially less than the pressure in the pipe 100. Thusthe Iirst mentioned pressure may amount to one atmosphere aboveatmospheric pressure, the working pressure in the pipe 100 being sevenatmospheres above atmospheric pressure, for example.

The cooling air passes through the branch pipe 122 containing -a sealingvalve 124 and a regulating valve 126 to a header 128 which throughbranch pipes 130 communicates with a header 132 for a smaller number ofpipes 134, such as four pipes, for example, each being connected to `anipple 72. The pressure of the cooling air is relatively low.

A load-carrying car 136 on wheels 13S is subdivided into horizontalcompartments, each being bounded lby horizontal rows of .rollers 140. YOn these rollers wet board blanks are deposited in correspondence to thenumber of press plates in the press. The car 136 is placed straightopposite to the intake front of the press 10, whereupon the board-blanks are advanced so much as to come to contact with thecorresponding wire sieves 20. This may be effected by means of anelectric motor 142 driving over a transmission 144, a roll 140' in eachroller. Thereupon, the traction member 30 is made operative which thusunrolls one wire sieve each over each press plate, each wire sievecarrying the blank wit-h it. When .the traction member 30 has reachedits end position, the press is made operative, the blanks thereby beingsubjected to pressure and heat so `as to cause the water present thereinto be expelled and the lblanks to be given their final shape. When thepress plates have been Withdrawn from one `another the wire sieves 20are again wound up on their roll-er members 13 and the iinished fiberboards or sheets are removed from the press whereupon the process isrepeated with a fresh set of blanks.

According -to the invention, the wire sieve 20 is kept stretched duringthe whole operative cycle. During the introduction between the pressplates 12 of the blanks located on the wire sieve the motors 40 may beout of operation because the wire sieves are exposed to the resistanceexerted by the blanks. During the winding up of .the wires 20 on theroller members 18 Ithe motors 40 are fed with pressure fluid of thehigher pressure through the pipes 96, 97, 100, 102, 104, 105, and 112.Then the valves 108 are open whereas the valve 116 is closed. The totalmotor torque now exceeds the moment of lthe traction member 30 acting inthe opposite direction. During this step of operation, a uniform windingup of the wire sieve onto the roller member is accomplished and the wiresieve is kept stretched during the whole time. In posi-tion of rest ofthe wire sieves, the motors operate with the lower work-ing pressure soas to prevent the wire sieves from being wound up partially. Thepressure fluid is -then supplied through `the pipes 96, 97, 114, 105,110, 112, the valve 116 being open and the valves 108 closed. The motors40 may also during the insertion of the Wire sieves out from theirroller members between the press plates be in operation under actuationof the lower working pressure.

It is easily understood that when the speed of movement of the wiresieves over the press plates is kept constant, the rotational speed ofthe roller members 1'8 must vary and will become higher in response tothe reduction of the diameter of the wire sieve on the roller member 18and vice versa. The motor 40 is of such kind as to be capable of workingunder the said conditions.

It is also possible to eiect the unrolling and drawing out of the wiresieves from the rollers 18 over the press plates 12 by means ofindividual motors of a similar kind as those described hereinbefore. Thematerial to be treated in the multilayer press may also entirely orpartly consist of peat, inorganic bers, granulates or powders of organicor inorganic kind.

While one more or less specific embodiment of the invention has beenshown and described, it is to be understood that this is for purpose ofillustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited thereby,but its scope is to be determined by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A device in multilayer presses for production of sheets or boards offibrous material, comprising a plurality of superimposed heated pressplates, a roller member associated externally of each plate except thetop plate, said plates adapted to have sheet or board blanks fed on wiresieves adapted to be unrolled from said roller members to be subjectedsubsequently to pressure and heat between said press plates and removalfrom the press after the pressing operation, characterized by at leastone traction member disposed to act on `said wire sieves at their freeend and motors adapted to act on the shafts of each individual rollermember and to exercise moments in a direction opposite to the directionof action of the traction members so las to keep the Wire sievesstretched.

2. In the device of claim 1 the traction member and the motors beingadapted to be operative during the operative step of winding up the Wiresieves onto the roller members after the pressing operation and removalofthe pressed objects.

3. In the device of claim 2, the motors being adapted to actuate thewire sieves even after the winding up thereof onto the roller members.

4. In the device of claim 1, the motors being `adapted to be rotated bymeans of a liquid pressure fluid.

5. In the device of claim 1, the motors being adapted to be rotated by agaseous pressure fluid.

6. In the device of claim 1, the motors being adapted to be rotated bycompressed air.

7. In the device of claim 3, the motors being adapted -to exert agreater torque on the roller members during the operation of winding upthe wire sieves onto the roller members than after completed winding upoperation.

8. In the device of claim 7, the motors being adapted to exert the lowertorque on the roller members even during the unrolling operation.

9. In the device of claim 1, the traction members belonging to aplurality of wire sieves being coupled together, the motors each actingindividually on its shaft.

10. In the device of claim 1 the traction members f being constituted bya single member common to al1 2,211,743 8/ 1940 Nelson etal. 2,602,1887/1952 Gorecki 18-17 XR 2,614,590 10/1952 Hervey 18-16 FOREIGN PATENTS343,'790 2/ 1931 Great Britain.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

J. HOWARD FLINT, Examiner.

1. A DEVICE IN MULTILAYER PRESSES FOR PRODUCTION OF SHEETS OR BOARDS OFFIBROUS MATERIAL, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUPERIMPOSED HEATED PRESSPLATES, A ROLLER MEMBER ASSOCIATED EXTERNALLY OF EACH PLATE EXCEPT THETOP PLATE, SAID PLATES ADAPTED TO HAVE SHEET OR BOARD BLANKS FED ON WIRESIEVES ADAPTED TO BE UNROLLED FROM SAID ROLLER MEMBERS TO BE SUBJECTEDSUBSEQUENTLY TO PRESSURE AND HEAT BETWEEN SAID PRESS PLATES AND REMOVALFROM THE PASS AFTER THE PRESSING OPERATION, CHARACTERIZED BY AT LEASTONE TRACTION MEMBER DISPOSED TO ACT ON SAID WIRE SIEVES AT